ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. 



49 



the scientific societies of their native land. Mr. Grote, who was a 

 younger brother of the historian, was born on the 29th Xovember, 

 IS 14, at Beckenham in Kent ; from 1833 to 186S he was a member 

 of the Indian Civil Service, at the end of his career occupying one 

 of the highest administrative posts in the Bengal Presidency. He 

 joined this Society in 1846, and after his retirement from official 

 life found satisfaction for his scientific tastes and sympathies in 

 attending the meetings and assisting in the administration of the 

 affairs of the Royal Asiatic, the Zoological, and the Linnean Societies, 

 as well as of our own. A man of charming manner and most amiable 

 character, his presence will be missed by a large circle of scientific 

 friends. 



From our Foreign list we have been compelled to erase the 

 honoured names of Abich, Guiscardi, and Cornet. 



Dr. Hermann Abich was born in Berlin, 11th December, 1806. 

 He first became known to the scientific world by his careful chemical 

 analyses of the spinels and other minerals : but he afterwards 

 devoted his attention to the study of volcanic phenomena, and in 

 this connexion his investigations on the chemical composition of the 

 gases of fumaroles and of the deposits which are found on the sides 

 of volcanic vents are of especial value. He was a warm advocate 

 of Yon Buch's theory of 44 Erhebungscratere," and though few 

 geologists at the present time will be found ready to accept his 

 arguments on this subject, every one must admire the careful 

 observations on the structure of volcanoes which he brought together 

 in several well-known works. In 1837 appeared his 4 Yues 

 Illustratives de Phe'nomenes Geologiques observes sur le Ye'suve et 

 l'Etna pendant les Annees 1833 et 1834,' and in 1S41 his ' Geolo- 

 gische Beobachtungen fiber die Xatur und den Zusammenhang der 

 vulkanischen Bildungen.' Having been appointed Professor of 

 Mineralogy at Dorpat, Abich' s attention was directed to the study 

 of the geology and mineralogy of different parts of the vast Russian 

 Empire. He subsequently removed to Tiflis, and from that time his 

 studies were chiefly devoted to the elucidation of the geological 

 structure of the Caucasus and surrounding districts. So long ago 

 as 1857 he was elected a Foreign Member of this Society. The last 

 few years of his life were spent at Yienna, where he was engaged 

 in embodying the results of his numerous researches in a great 

 monograph entitled 4 Geologische Forschungen in den kaukasischen 

 Landern,' of which one part only has as yet appeared. He passed 

 away on July 1st, 1886, in his 80th year. 



vol. xliii. e 



